Numerous surgical scalpels, knives, saws, burrs, drills, files, and gouges exist in the art for cutting, shaping, trimming and removing hard materials such as bone, cartilage, and calcification during orthopedic, reconstructive, and neurosurgical procedures. The numerous surgical cutting, trimming and shaping instruments add to the complexity and increase the time for performing surgery.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,203,444; 4,589,414; 4,601,290; and 5,387,215 are exemplary of power operated surgical files in the prior art. One characteristic which is common to each of these patents is that a rotary or reciprocating file is aligned with an axis of a motor. One drawback of this construction is that its uses are limited to certain surgical procedures and sites. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,290 is directed to performing joint surgery such as knee surgery utilizing surgical viewing probes inserted through punctures. Another drawback is that it has limited mobility in a surgical site. Another drawback is that its ability at a surgical site is limited for trimming and shaping hard body materials.